Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi on 'TRAILBLAZER' Gloria Steinem I MS NOW COMPILATION

Remembering of Gloria Steinem, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 92, legendary feminist, and joining us on the phone to share her thoughts on that is former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Madam Secretary, thank you so much for joining us this morning. As you hear about her passing today, give us some of your thoughts of her life and legacy, please. Well, I am really sad, personally, but also very grateful for the life she led and the activism that placed her right in the middle of the women's movement over the last, oh my gosh, now 70 years. And I was lucky enough to get to know Gloria as a friend. But I started as just a young woman who began paying attention to what she was saying about the need for women to have full equality under the law, because in the 1960s and early 70s, when she began her career of advocacy, that just wasn't the case. And then Ms. Magazine, which she spearheaded, came out, which was a revelation to many of us as we learned much more about disparities between the way boys and girls are treated and men and women were treated. But she did it with such grace. I mean, she was brilliant, beautiful, funny, so connected to the world in which she lived and had friends literally around the globe. And so it's a personal loss, but it's also a reminder about the difference that, you know, one person can make who lives a purposeful life. So I want to read you a line from the New York Times obituary that was really striking to me, Madam Secretary. Ms. Steinem deemed herself an entrepreneur of social change as she helped usher in sweeping cultural transformations across virtually every facet of American life, from the boardroom to the courtroom to the bedroom. And I think that's a real part of her legacy here is that she she was so much to so many. I think that's a great way of putting the gloss on what the New York Times wrote in the obituary, because it's a absolutely accurate description of her impact. And, you know, she was not on the Supreme Court, but Roe v. Wade was part of her advocacy. She wasn't in Congress, but Title IX, opening up opportunities to girls in sports and academics was part of her legacy. She wasn't at NASA directing our space program, but Sally Ride finally becoming the first woman astronaut was, you know, part of what she stood for. And you could go on and on because the list is probably endless because her understanding of the need to, you know, create opportunities for women where they had not existed before or where they only existed for the very, very few exceptions just really drove her until literally the end of her life. I was talking with a friend this morning who had been in her famous living room at one of her gatherings, and she was talking about how much progress had been made, about the pushback to that progress going on now, but how we can't ever be discouraged. We have to keep pushing forward and make sure that we don't lose the game that she was part of achieving. And Secretary Clinton, that's exactly the area I wanted to explore with you now. You mentioned all the areas that she was involved in, and certainly progress made, so much progress made over the decades of her life. But yes, there has been pushback. You mentioned Roe v. Wade just a moment ago. That, of course, overturned, and we see other sort of a reaction to some of that progress now. What are your thoughts and feelings? Are you troubled by where we are right now, or do you still remain hopeful that even if the progress at times can be halting, it's moving in the right direction? I am both troubled and hopeful. I am troubled because there is a reaction, both in what we might call the real world and particularly online, where women are being targeted with viral misogyny. But we're also seeing the chilling effect of the kind of rhetoric and actions taken by Trump and his administration. You know, when I look at the women that Hegseth is purging from the military, women who went to the military academies, who served 20, 30, 40 years in one of our military branches with great distinction, did everything they were supposed to do, and are literally being cashiered, kicked out of the positions that they had earned because they're women. And then you hear the kind of language that comes out of this administration under the guise of what they call DEI, which, you know, is code for we don't want women or minorities, people who don't fit the mold of what we consider to be real Americans, which, you know, is a pretty limited group, according to them. So, yes, I am troubled by the pushback and the retreat and the boardrooms and courtrooms and legislative halls. I see it. I am speaking out about it. But I also remain hopeful because, you know, the spark of equality and opportunity for everyone that is at the root of the American dream is not going to die because Donald Trump is trying to, you know, dig a grave to put it in under his new ballroom. It's going to persist. And, you know, I think it's important to remember the, you know, the example of Gloria. She never held a position in elected or public life, but she was very influential because she, you know, never quit on making it clear that we had to live up to our values, and that included equality for all. So we're going to keep going. And I think her example is going to serve as a real spur to that. And Senator Clinton, we'd love to hear just your own personal thoughts and memories of Gloria Steinem, your interactions, your conversations with her, including perhaps the last time you were able to speak with her. Well, she was very influential in my early life. I bought my first pair of aviator sunglasses because I saw her wearing them. I had my hair long in those days. And, you know, she really was iconic from the first time she burst onto the public scene. But as I got to know her, she campaigned for me when I ran for office. She and I would talk about issues and strategize. I went to the play about her life and sat there in the audience with her and just marveled at how far she had come and what was kind of an unlikely path for a girl growing up in the circumstances she did. And I just found her to be a source of both inspiration and connection. I last saw her in her living room sometime earlier this year where she would gather people together to keep talking about, you know, the changes we would need. But it was never heavy. It wasn't, you know, doom and gloom. It always had, you know, the element of light and hope because that's who she was. She really wanted to bring out the best in people. And as I sat there talking with her in her living room and, you know, kind of reminiscing about some of the fights that we both had been in, it was exhilarating because she brought out the best in you. And so I'm going to miss her personally. But I also know, you know, she's going to live on. She's going to live on in the hearts and minds of people who really believe in what we said in the Declaration of Independence, that all people, as Gloria would say, are created equal and we have work to do. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, we are so grateful you were able to share some time with us and share these memories of Gloria Steinem with us. Thank you. Thank you so much. Take care. Bye-bye. Law and Leader, certainly Secretary Clinton, the perfect person to weigh in here. Her life recently intertwined, you know, significantly intertwined with Gloria Steinem's in recent decades. Let's have some of your thoughts about Gloria Steinem at her passing. I mean, it intertwined in mine as well. I mean, she was such a fixture in my childhood. And my mother was, you know, sort of a foot soldier for the women's rights movement, worked very closely with her throughout my childhood. And certainly like everything that is possible in my life is because of the work that she helped mobilize. And I chafe a little bit at the word icon constantly being used already in the press this morning because she was so much more than that. Icon has this sort of like static connotation. She was such a mobilizer. And the secretary really nailed it that she was able to even outside of elected office affect such enormous change. And what was significant is that it was it's cultural change, right? Ms. Magazine was fundamental in changing the way women thought about ourselves, the way the culture thought about women's roles, then the laws and the real transformation in the legislative world for women starting in the 70s. Just the most basic rights that we have come to believe are fundamental today to bank accounts and housing and job access, all of that because of the political work that she helped organize. And then this long life. There's not one of us in the women's rights movement who hasn't spent time with her, who hasn't worked with her, who hasn't been inspired by her. I think she is probably one of the most important figures of the 20th century. I think that's exactly right. Michael Tomasky, in our last minute, just give us your thoughts, too, on Gloria Steinem, someone who you were able to watch for so many years. Titanic figure, very courageous, too. I don't think anybody's used the word courageous yet, but nobody should be under the impression that it was easy for a woman to do the things she did in the 1960s and 70s. At the New Republic, my magazine, we did a poll of historians and other public intellectuals over the summer in commemoration of our country's 250th anniversary. We asked these people to make a bunch of lists for us. And one of the lists we asked them for was the most important women in the history of the United States. And it had the names you would expect. Eleanor Roosevelt, Francis Perkins, Harriet Tubman, Secretary Clinton, of course. Gloria Steinem was on that list, too. I think it was 14 or 15 women. So one of the 14 or 15 most important women in the history of our country in the estimation of these historians and intellectuals. And I think they got it exactly right. All right. Well said. Editor of the New Republic, Michael Tomasky, and co-founder and CEO of All In Together, Lauren Leder. Thank you both. And our thanks again to Secretary Clinton for sharing her thoughts as well. Speaker Emerita, Nancy Pelosi, posted on Exquo, Gloria Steinem was a fearless trailblazer who transformed the fight for equality in America and inspired generations of women to know their power. Her voice, she adds, courage and relentless advocacy helped break down barriers and open doors once firmly closed to women. May it be a comfort to all of us who love Gloria that her extraordinary legacy will live on in every generation that carries her fight forward. And joining us now is Speaker Emerita, Nancy Pelosi. She is at Capitol Hill today. Madam Speaker, it is such a pleasure to have you here. I'm sorry, though, that it's under these circumstances that we're visiting. You knew Gloria Steinem so well. As you reflect on her life, her legacy, what are your first thoughts today? Well, thank you for the opportunity to speak about her. And thank you for acknowledging some of her accomplishments, which are so many. Personally, I loved her. And again, I'm grateful to her. I say thank you, Gloria, again and again, for making the world a different place for women to participate. I had her in my home long before I was in Congress. And the people who turned out by the hundreds to our home to see her was just a joy to behold. And then in Congress, I had her here, too, when we had the March for Women's Lives, where she was such a champion in so many different ways. I stand here before the speaker, Nancy Pelosi, caucus room in the Conin Building. And I say that because we have never had a woman speaker if we hadn't had so many women members of Congress. And Gloria was very instrumental in giving women the confidence and the courage to run for office. She made a tremendous difference. She made a tremendous difference. Our society, our economy, our country benefits from the increased participant. Nothing is more wholesome than the increased participation of women. Gloria Steinem understood that. She stands as a champion with our suffragists who did what they did to get women the right to vote. She's a champion. Iconic is an inadequate word to describe her. She was just remarkable. I hope that her passing gives us a chance for many more people to know and understand and what Gloria Steinem has meant to our country. We have talked about her impact from the boardroom to the bedroom to the halls of the Capitol, as you say, in 2024, a record 152 women lawmakers were elected. We had never seen ranks of women serving this country like we have seen in recent years. You and Ms. Steinem fought through three Republican presidencies to advance not just women's rights, but equal rights for everyone. Do you remember some of the advice she gave you when the days seemed dark or more challenging for the movement? Well, long before I was elected to public office, when I was party chair in California, she said, we've got to get you doing more things than just politics. We want you to be more active in terms of the women's movement. And I said, well, that's what I think I'm doing. But then she was unhappy because Time Magazine had not put me as the first woman speaker on the cover. And so she had me on the cover of Ms. Magazine. So she was saying, I'm going to make sure that people understand the connection between what I'm doing, what you are doing. But she was, the advice she gave me is what she gave everyone else. Be confident, have courage, get out there and do make sure you make your difference. And she was a model for that herself to see the courage she had and the upbringing she had. She overcame and with pride and with pride. She was beautiful. She was graceful. She was eloquent. She was effective. And she was a model for the rest of us to be ourselves, know our power and get the job done. For all the progress that we have seen over the course of your and her lifetime, obviously, the last several years have been so challenging. The overturning of Roe v. Wade. As you witness America as we see it today, the impact some of the new efforts under this president are having on not just women, but certainly women in America. Are you troubled? Do you remain optimistic? Well, I saw the interview with Senator Clinton. I mean, Senator, Secretary, so many titles for Hillary Clinton this morning. Yes, both optimistic, hopeful and concerned. And I do think that young people, the more they know about what a difference Gloria Steinem made, it's time to refresh the memory of all of us, so many of us, about the challenge that was women were facing and what we have now. But we need more. I'm relentless as Gloria would want us all to be in our pursuit of many more rights for women, many more opportunities for women. And to teach men, some men need to be taught really that respect for women is something that is a tradition in our country that must be honored as we go forward. And a little bit in doubt right now, but we don't agonize about them. We organize about the women. And if I can ask you, I'm a girl dad, so I ask this as a point of personal privilege, perhaps. But there are some young girls, young women in this country that may not fully understand the impact of Gloria Steinem's decades of work. What do you hope as they come to learn about her today and then the days ahead, they understand, they embrace, and they are motivated by? I think the word confidence is the word that she gave all of us. As I said, she was in my home long before I was an elected official. And then when I was one, she was in my home in Washington, D.C. on the March for Women's Lives. So it was always about just know your power, be confident. And those are words that I use with women now today. And do not accept anything other than the respect that women deserve and the difference that women make. I think that sad as it is that she has left us, she would want us to use this opportunity to, if the word is remind in some cases or teach in other cases, the difference that she has made and the leadership she provided. And for young women, some women not aware of even the challenges that were faced when Gloria Steinem started her National Women's Political Caucus, whether it was political magazines, whether it was communication and the rest in almost every category, political policy, personally in every way, she gave people courage and confidence. And that is important for our country. Thank you for focusing on her today. And thank you for your kind words about her. Thank you, Gloria. You made such a difference. We all love you. We will miss you. House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, we very much appreciate your time and your reflections on the legacy of Gloria Steinem. Thank you so much. We want to bring in the former vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris. Madam Vice President, we appreciate your joining us on State of Play. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances. Your reflections on the life, the legacy, the impact of Gloria Steinem. Thank you, Peter. It's good to be with you. You know, I first met Gloria Steinem in the late 90s when I was a young prosecutor. I, as you know, specialized in crimes against women and children and got to know her through those years and at that time. And then we we did work together around the late 90s, I believe was late 90s, reelect of Bill Clinton, because at the time the punditry was that women weren't going to vote. And so there was a group of us that started an organization. We called ourselves Women Count. And our slogan was they used to say we couldn't vote. Now they say we won't. Let's get out and vote. And so that was the beginning of the work that I did with Gloria so many years ago. And I have to tell you, to know her as a person is to know someone who was kind. She had an incredible sense of humor and wit and was just very connected with thinking about where we are going, not only where we've been, but where we are going. She was always invested in young women, and her advocacy really was always about fighting for the strength and the intelligence and the dignity of women everywhere and really an icon in so many ways. Her message always focusing on female empowerment and beyond. We've been talking about how at 92 for generations she has such an impact, but there's now a new generation of younger women, young leaders, children, women, girls right now. What do you say to them about the impact of Gloria Steinem and what lessons they can take from the way she lived her life? Well, you know, I have the saying that you never let anyone tell you who you are. You tell them who you are. And that really epitomized the Gloria Steinem's approach to it all, which is be strong, know that you have support, know that you belong. Don't look for affirmation in people who have a limited ability to see your capacity. And don't let that be a limitation on your perception of who you are and your ambition. And so to all the young women and the girls out there, I say really just understand that you are so supported and we applaud your ambition and never let other people's limited ability to see who you are be a limitation on your ambition. Gloria Steinem was a supporter of yours. She donated to your campaign in 2020. She participated in your campaign two years ago when she was asked if a woman could win the presidency. She said, I think Kamala Harris could win. What was some of the best advice she gave you through the course of your public life? Well, she, you know, and remember, I wasn't the first. She has supported women in the run for presidency as early as her incredible support for Shirley Chisholm, who is a role model for me. And of course, Hillary Clinton and her point was always listen, we have to understand our ability to be even though people may not see it at the moment that there is still work to be done to help people with their perception of who can do what. But you know, here's my feeling about it is that, you know, breaking barriers involves breaking. And here's the thing about breaking things. Sometimes you get cut. Sometimes you bleed, but it'll be worth it every time. And Gloria knew that she understood that the process of breaking barriers will be important. It will be historic, but it will also involve pain. And there will be a lot of support for you through that process. Understanding it won't be easy, but it's important to get it done. Madam Vice President, we appreciate all your reflections. I do want to ask you or give you a chance to respond to one of the headlines that's in the news today. Politico reports that you are wading into some of the midterms and that red state, not blue or purple state, but red state Democrats in states that Donald Trump won are encouraging you to stay away for fear it could impact their races there. Your response to some of that reporting. Listen, Peter, we need to win. Okay. Bottom line, we need to win. I have run locally. I've run for statewide office and obviously nationally, and these candidates know what they need to do to win, and I would expect nothing less. I look forward to being on the trail and helping folks where I can be helpful, but we have got to put a check on this lawless administration and deliver what Americans need and deserve. Lower cost, affordable healthcare, affordable childcare, you name it. So I support them in doing whatever they need to do to win. Are you going to be on the trail for yourself as a presidential candidate in 2028? I'm focused on 26. You know what, Peter, and to be very serious about this, 28 doesn't matter if we don't win 26. Got it. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, Madam Vice President, it's always a pleasure to have you here. Thanks for spending time with us and sharing your reflections about the life of a one of a kind woman, Gloria Stein, and we appreciate you. We begin with the very sad breaking news that Gloria Steinem, a legendary champion for women around the world, died at the age of 92. Her foundation said she died peacefully in her New York home yesterday, surrounded by loved ones. There is so much she will be admired and remembered for, but for me, the truth is, if it was not for Gloria Steinem, I would not be in this chair leading this program today. We cannot overlook how much the world has changed for the better because of Gloria. Just one part of her enormous legacy was Ms. Magazine, a women-led publication that focused on politics. When Ms. Magazine was preparing to launch, it vowed to be devoted to women, not as role players, but as full human beings. Just that statement in itself was revolutionary in 1971. When Gloria Steinem published the first issue in 1972, women in America could be denied credit cards, mortgages, and loans unless they had a man co-signing, like their husband, their father, or maybe an uncle. Women could be fired, denied a job, or forced to stop working just because they were pregnant. Courts didn't recognize sexual harassment in the workplace for years, and women couldn't even run in the Boston Marathon. It would be another year before the Supreme Court established a constitutional right to abortion in Roe v. Wade. Steinem says despite the doubts, she saw huge response to her magazine from women across this country. We had the revolutionary and not very commercial, in terms of advertisers, idea that we could have a magazine that really related every day to what women read, and we could see that it was happening because we got mail by the bushels from women saying, thank you so much, now I know I'm not crazy. Some people wondered why Steinem didn't seek political office, and here's what she said, quote, I never wanted to be a politician or elected person myself, so I love to work for other women who did, and hope that more girls will do that. The problem is the feeling that we're divided from politics, that our vote doesn't count, or what we do doesn't count. In fact, everything we do counts. Gloria Steinem is a fusion of two things that I believe make our country better, full and equal rights for women and great journalism that shines a light on injustices and can help motivate our country to change for the better. We've got a lot of news to cover, but I want to take some more time just to talk about this extraordinary woman, Ali Vitale, MSNOW senior Capitol Hill reporter, host of Way Too Early, and MSNOW political analyst Molly Jong Fash. She's a contributing writer for the New York Times opinion host and host of the Fast Politics podcast. Molly, for younger people watching, can you put into context the difference that Gloria Steinem made for the world and for women? Because for younger people watching, or for younger people who might not be watching, they don't even realize how much the world has changed because of and thanks to the work of Gloria Steinem. Yeah, I was glad you talked about the credit card thing, because basically women were not people. We didn't have the same rights as men, and we couldn't have credit cards, we couldn't have bank accounts, we couldn't have the same kind of financial rights, we couldn't have the same physical rights, right? Wives did not have the right to not be raped by their husband. I mean, it was really a bleak time. And what Gloria, and a bunch of second wave feminists like Betty Friedan, and my mom was in that group too, they were able, my mom is this feminist writer, Erica Chung, they were able to do this thing, which was they were able to highlight the struggles of women, and they were able to help women get elected. They were involved in a group, and they were able to try very hard to get this, they got Roe v. Wade passed, and they worked really hard to try and get this Equal Rights Amendment, which they never were able to do. But it was a group of women like Angela Davis, and Shirley Chisholm, and Bella Abzug, and Gloria, and they worked really hard. It was called the second wave feminism, they came after suffragettes, and what they were trying to do was get women the rights that men had. I mean, it was not such an ambitious project, or it was such an ambitious project, but it was, it's such a strange thing to think about how few rights women had compared to men back in the 60s and 70s. Molly, just think about that quote that we shared, that soundbite, where she's talking about Ms. Magazine, and she says, it was revolutionary, but not commercial. That right there, in a nutshell, sort of speaks to the struggles of the movement. Yeah, I mean, look, they worked really hard, and they did so much, you know, I feel like we think about how they lost, you know, we lost Roe v. Wade, right, that that was because of this Supreme Court, but they did so much, they moved the needle so far, it's hard to even think back to what it was like for pre-second-wave feminists. I mean, they did so much for us, and they did, in fact, elect a ton of women, that was the other thing. And so, you know, they struggled, but one of the things that Gloria did, which was, I think, sort of her secret sauce, in a way, was that she was able to go into spaces, she was able to sort of be, you know, be, you know, her piece that broke through was this piece about being a playboy bunny. You know, she was able to go into spaces, sort of get into the patriarchy and disassemble it from inside, and that is incredibly important and cool. And remember, even the title, Myth Magazine, it's about that they wanted to have something that, you know, that they wanted to have a way of describing themselves that didn't involve being married, because before that, you were either Miss or Mrs., and being married was sort of the way people knew you, and Miss was this idea that you didn't have to say you were married, you could be unmarried, you could be married, you could be anything you wanted. And it was a huge thing at the time, and her legacy is amazing, and these women together have done great things, and I'm proud, it makes me very proud to be a feminist. Ali, you actually wrote an entire book about women in leadership, women in government. One of her priorities was helping women who wanted to serve in government. She co-founded the National Women's Caucus. How deeply is that legacy on the Hill and across this country? Just a few minutes ago, Hillary Clinton was joining our colleagues on Morning Show, just talking about her impact in government. I don't come close to even asking the questions in my book, let alone writing a book about women coming within striking distance of the presidency, without the work of second-wave feminists like Julia Steinem in the 60s and 70s, laying brick by brick the road that these female politicians in the building behind me, and in other parts of government across this country, walk on every day. They are still laying the bricks of that road. I write a lot about how all of these women are starkly aware of the fact that there's still a lot of work in representative government for them to do, but at the same time, they don't get to do any of it, or even entertain it, without the work of Gloria Steinem. And I think of something that Molly was saying, where that Playboy Bunny expose is just a stark example, not just of the policy and journalism advocacy that Steinem was able to accomplish, but frankly, of the ways that she was able to use the fact that she was beautiful to access some of these patriarchal spaces and work from within them. There was even a point where people wondered if she was the right movement maker and the right face for the feminist movement because of her beauty. I mean, again, just shows some of the things that she herself may have had to overcome in that period of time as she was building her own advocacy spaces. But then I also think of the work being done in recent years for Steinem, because she was not someone who ever slowed down. She was still holding talking circles in her home in New York, bringing feminists of all ages together, and continuing to push that work forward. But even in a 2024 interview with Vogue, they asked her what she hoped to be celebrating on her 100th birthday. And she said then, certainly much less emphasis on race, ethnicity, and gender, also less emphasis on groupism, and more on shared unique human individuality. And I think it's so important as we contextualize what feminism means as we are in its third, potentially fourth wave. It is not that women are better or deserve more. It is just that they deserve equality to the point where women don't want to have to be talking about the things that women don't have access to or cannot do. And she was so essential in laying that foundation that we could even aspire to such an ideal. Sexy, powerful, brilliant, and uniquely divine. Molly, Ali mentioned right there that she wasn't done, right? She wasn't just this historical figure. She had said she still has been hosting these women's round table dinners in her home. I talked to Katie Couric this morning. She was supposed to interview Gloria two weeks from now on her upcoming book. And back in 2017, in her 80s, she co-chaired the Women's March in Washington. Yeah. No, I mean, look, there was a lot to be done. And Gloria was laser focused on it, right? And why we get to be here. I'm really glad you talked stuff about how much we owe to these women who went into spaces where women, I mean, she wasn't, you know, the stuff that men said to her about her appearance and about her talent and about, you know, she constantly had to push the rock up the hill. And what she did for us would make it a little easier for our generation. And what we will do for the women who come after us is we will try to make it better for them. But she has an incredible legacy. She fought really hard for all of us. And, you know, all of the elected women who have power now, you know, owe a debt to her. And so and, you know, Betty Friedan, too, they were these women. She did not do it alone. Molly, thank you so much, Ali. We're going to check back in with you later in the program. I got to take a deep breath, a breath of gratitude, because I'm so happy and lucky to have this career and this job, in part because of Gloria Steinem.